Canadian retailers will be able to offer discounts on ebooks by three major publishers

The Competition Bureau announced today that it has taken action to restore retail price competition for ebooks in Canada.

The Commissioner of Competition commended Apple and three major publishers – Hachette, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster – for entering into consent agreements to resolve his concerns related to these companies’ conduct in the market for ebooks. As a result, Canadian retailers including Amazon and Kobo will be able to offer discounts on ebooks by these publishers.

As no agreement has been reached with a fourth publisher, HarperCollins, the Commissioner has filed an application with the Competition Tribunal for an order to stop its alleged anti-competitive conduct.

The Bureau’s investigation concluded that an anti-competitive arrangement between HarperCollins, its competitors and Apple ultimately led to higher prices for Canadian consumers.

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Source: Global News

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